This rotting detached garage had been neglected since the 1950s, but its owners saw nothing but potential. With lots of learning and labor—and a little help from friends and family—they converted the old structure into a lovely rental studio. This little kitchen is so cute! It’s small, but it’s efficient, practical, and stylish.

This project is a great example of how a few dollars and a few minutes can make a dramatic change in your home—and your mood. As Anne described her situation, “Cooking and baking make me happy, but seeing my workspace sulking in the shadows was putting a damper on my spirit.” Let’s see her cheap, quick, renter-friendly, and reversible solution to the baking blues! So much better!

An extra kitchen? As tempting as it would be to trash it every year during the holidays, pay for a professional cleaning, and shut the door again until the next big event, an extra kitchen almost always seems like a total waste of space. In this renovation, the upstairs kitchen becomes a much-more-useful room! From baby blue kitchen to gloriously green bedroom!

This is an interesting project, as it was purchased and remodeled for the express purpose of being sold. Unlike many projects we see which intimately reflect the residents’ needs, habits, and tastes, this one was freed from such restrictions. As the homeowner described the process, “The house was an estate sale, and was extremely dated. It hadn’t been touched in many years, though it had a lot of potential.” That potential has now been unlocked!

Not only did this kitchen receive a major aesthetic upgrade, the project achieved the Holy Grail of renovation dreams. In the words of the condo owner, “Same footprint, more space.” Hashtag goals indeed. So elegant! Malcolm Simmons of Mas Means More did such a fantastic job on this project. Is it strange that my favorite part is the cupboard above the refrigerator? It elongates the fridge and adds grace to a necessary appliance.

A family of four—including a former professional chef—made the most of this kitchen for four years, but they were eventually able to totally transform the room. Farewell to the “sparkly purple laminate countertops and faded store-bought cabinets” and hello to a gorgeous new gathering space that’s perfect for cooking. Impressed, but confused?

What’s this, a blank wall? What could possibly be done with it—a coat of paint? Some sassy wallpaper? A coat of paint with a sassy wallpaper border? Be prepared for something so much more dramatic and intriguing than all that… Even though the title of this submitted project was “Pegboard Cross Stitch Mural,” I still wasn’t prepared for this. It’s incredible, it’s dramatic — yet perfectly scaled, and totally unexpected.

What’s the solution to two competing patterns of speckled stone in a kitchen? Sometimes the answer is a third, completely different material…. Argh, it’s like a beautiful jewel box! That pantry on the left is my new favorite room ever. And the unique arrangement of the hanging cabinets—is that middle one an ingeniously disguised range hood?—is so graceful, the marble walls are pure luxury, and that wonderful blue brings out such interesting hues in the marble.

I’m sure this fireplace makeover is going to be great, but in the meantime, I’m in love with that little sidecar of a fireplace on the left there. It’s so cute! Beyond that adorableness, it’s easy to see why this fireplace got an update. I think this style of stone is beautiful, but it can be hard to fit into many types of decor.

Here’s a room with beautiful bones—stunning wood floors, classic fireplace, tasteful paint colors, interesting accent wall, high ceilings—but can it be even better? Here’s how the homeowner kept everything that’s good about this room, while remedying the “big empty space!” next to the fireplace. First, here’s how Lindsay of Indigo & Gray described the situation before the change: We had just moved into our brand new house.

Here’s a lovely dining room that boasts ample natural light, beautiful wood floors, covetable furnishings, a graceful light fixture, and happy plants. It’s nearly perfect! There is, however, the matter of that huge blank wall that somewhat sucks the life out of the room… This is so fun!

This kitchen looked pretty good! It was cute and has charm—but it had hidden issues that were driving its owner batty. Let’s see how far $3,500 went in refreshing this sweet space. Before we gaze upon the new kitchen, here’s how reader Alisha described the old one: The kitchen in our townhouse was adequate when we moved in 2+ years ago, but every day it grew more tired.

Behold this tragic trailer, 63-years-old and abandoned in the woods of rural Mississippi. Is there any hope for this rusty, busted, pest-infested little sweetie? Hold out for a hero, brave Airlight! It’s so SHINY!

This is a cute little cabinet, perfect for storing all manner of things. But Melissa had an entirely different purpose in mind, and the whole project took about thirty minutes from start to finish. One member of her household is particularly happy with the end result.

This is a very nice living room! If it has a flaw, it’s that it is all a bit…beige, with endless shades of taupe and brown. Check out the renovation that makes the room’s many assets pop — and makes you forget there was ever any beige involved. It’s now so fantastic!

Reader Tamera is having a baby — yay! Tamera’s rental apartment does not feature a room for a baby — boo! Fortunately, it does have a generously proportioned master closet, and Tamera had a vision to transform this space. This is so very sweet! The accent wall really makes it feel like a room, the pretty mirror adds natural light to the space, and every inch has been used so wisely.

When I saw this living room, I crossed my fingers that the ceiling beams and wood-burning stove survived the renovation. Spoiler alert: they did! Just don’t get too attached to that amazing, but undeniably eccentric, hutch. Beams and stove are intact, but the problem now is that they’re utterly upstaged by that astounding floor by Fairwood.

This photo doesn’t look too bad, but click through to find out why reader Sara refers to this bathroom as a “two-toned linoleum bath pit” — and how the situation was dramatically remedied in less than two weeks for less than $2,000. Here’s more detailed information on this 1950s bathroom, pre-renovation from homeowner Sara: The before picture pretty much sums up why I needed a change from this two-toned linoleum bath pit.

This is a treat: a whole-house renovation, with before and after photos from seven rooms — and the exterior, of course. This massive makeover retains the home’s mid-century modern charm, while giving it a fresh, more modern twist. Let’s dive in. This exterior remodel was so well done! It highlights the house’s bold lines and actually makes it easier to appreciate the beauty of the bricks.

This bathroom has a lot of charming quirks, but upon further inspection, we’ll see that it’s falling apart at the seams a bit. Fortunately, a thoughtful design company is about to help this little room be its very best self. Before we ogle the bathroom now, let’s let Courtney and John Achilli of Content + Company describe their process: Not every renovation is a total overhaul.

When I saw the title of this reader submission, I braced myself for some The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe action, but it turned out to be less Narnia, more Lane Kim. Don’t let your teen see this makeover unless you’re prepared to build them a secret hideout — and you’ll probably be tempted to build one for yourself. Here we see Laura Medicus of The Colorado Nest‘s daughter stepping into a fairly magical vintage wardrobe . . .

This bathroom has a lot working for it — streamlined sink, flowered toilet, a cute tiled floor, and boats, boats, boats — but, as we’ll soon learn, it has a lot working against it. Let’s just say you never want something making your wallpaper bulge out… This is a tricky room to photograph, so I’m leading with a few more before shots to get you oriented in the space.

This is a Very Serious Dresser, and while it is certainly beautiful and worthy of preservation, how does one incorporate a dark, gravitas-filled antique into a home that’s decidedly not all stained glass windows, turrets, and gargoyles? Don’t worry—the answer is not “paint it white.

This post is especially for those of us who have lived in 400-ish-square-foot homes, and with a loved one we’d like to keep loving. We can relate to the limited storage, style compromises (there’s zero “me” space), multi-multi-use rooms, and eccentric bed positioning. This studio, shared by a married couple, is an inspiring small space, both pre- and post-renovation. This dreamy decor was designed and executed by Kate Lemmon of Kate L Photography.

Some rooms have a million flaws that need remedying; the problem with this nursery-to-be was there was no real there there. After months of sanding, painting, ripping out, and replacing by a very pregnant lady and her crew, this room was lovingly decorated for its tiny new occupant. The word for this nursery, created by Bridget Matkovich of The DIY Playbook, is dreamy.

Can this humble, crumbling little garage be replaced by the hottest place to stay in town, all in just six short months? With a little help from trusted architects and contractors, anything is possible! Let’s let Jude Green of That Homebird Life explain how this family decided to go from a useless garage to a multi-use guesthouse: We pulled down an old rotting garage and constructed a guest house (with attached storage room, loft and bathroom) in its place.

This kitchen is perfectly nice! It’s got lots of windows, a beautiful hardwood floor, and classic cabinets. Its owner, however, wanted something beyond perfectly nice, and, after four years of plotting and planning, made it into something special. In the full-length shot, you can see that lovely floor, as well as more of the mustard walls.

This kitchen had a lot of cozy charm, but it wasn’t very user-friendly. After five months of DIY renovations, it’s now bright, spacious, and totally made for cooking. It’s hard to believe this is the same amount of space! While the old kitchen felt claustrophobic, the new one is roomy and airy, yet it appears to boast about the same amount of storage space. Rachel Klein of The Northern Current is the powerhouse behind this renovation, and she did a bang-up job.

This is a 115-year-old, 1,800-square-foot carriage house with 11-foot ceilings and tons of character. It had been recently renovated, but its new owners wanted to go a step further, by going back to the past and revealing the home’s historic charms. Such a nice modern upgrade! Allow me to list my favorite things about this transformation: 1. That beam!

It would be fascinating to meet the person who decided to decorate this living room—in what its new owner described as “the ugliest house I’ve ever seen”—with bright green walls and all red furnishings, but we’ll have to be content with seeing how this Christmas-y space was transformed into a bright, modern, and colorful—but not quite as colorful—room.

This bathroom was very, very orange, but no longer. The once-colorful bathroom still has plenty of color, just not quite as bright and “day-glo.” Here’s the full-length version of the bathroom before, so we can see the pedestal sink and what the homeowner describes as “yucky” floor tiles, but let’s take in the full expanse of ORANGE. I kind of love it, actually.

This bedroom was already cute, cozy, and charming, but its owner came up with an affordable, renter-friendly way to upgrade the space—and the results are tropically fantastic. Laura B of Thrifted Bohemian transformed this bedroom into a vibrant oasis with a little help from peel-and-stick wallpaper that goes with the bed perfectly.

Gorgeous hardwood floors, a large window, posh location, a fireplace, and built-ins galore? Yes, please. This Upper East Side apartment’s living room was already dreamy as hell, but one bold client-designer team knew it could be so much more. My favorite part of this transformation is the way the newly painted built-ins echo the tone of the fireplace, creating, along with the mirror, a delightful triptych. The coffee table appears to be the same hue, further unifying the space.

This penny tile floor is fabulously snakeskin-like, but an unstable subfloor caused tiles to pop out. Similarly, that pedestal sink is graceful but offered no counter space, while the intriguingly low tub was unused and unnecessary. After 15 years, this remodeled bathroom was remodeled again and the results are dreamy. So pretty. Pink, black, white, and wood is a fantastic combo that I might not ever have thought of.

Where exactly is the kitchen, you ask? Why, it’s behind that grey dividing wall. And while the room’s cabinetry and other surfaces were very nice, this home’s new owner found the kitchen to be “small and closed-off.” It was perhaps the most closed-off kitchen in the history of our renovation posts.

This kitchen was super cozy and sun-soaked, and it boasted an ample and intriguing island/peninsula hybrid—pretty sure that’s what an isthmus is—but it had a few shortcomings: The finishings were getting worn, and the freezer was a full 70 years old. Now it’s light and airy, and full of personal charm and quirky objects. Reader Catherine S. Vodrey of OutspokenWomen.

The MELLTORP is one of IKEA’s ubiquitous and affordable tables. It’s minimal and modern, but it also makes a great blank canvas for a DIY. Here’s how Tiphaine of Kraft & Carat transformed it. This is extremely cool, and the way the table now matches the chairs is uncanny; choosing colors that close to each other often leads to awkward almost-matching, but this looks perfect.

You are currently gazing upon a floor that is not only old linoleum—it is the old linoleum floor of a fish-gutting room. Is there any hope for this room, or is it doomed to be forever haunted by dearly departed stinky fishies? The old, fishy floor has been replaced with a watery blue dream; it’s like a river you can walk on. This stained plywood floor was created by Tanya of Dans le Lakehouse, and I’m in awe of her vision.

Instagram is overflowing with renovated vintage trailers: they’re all adorable, and they all have adorable names. Check out the amazing work that’s been done on Sprite, Scamp, Rosie, Rubie Jane, Lula, Lorelai, Peach, and 12 others—most of these homes-on-wheels are at least 40 years old, and they all look better than ever. This minimal beauty is enormous for a trailer, but fairly small for a family of five!

We had so much fun exploring The Best Vintage Travel Trailer Makeovers on Instagram that we’re back with 20 more. This time the focus is on exterior paint jobs, but the adorable trailer names—Sassafras Lou, Delilah, Sprout, Beatrice, Archie, and Mrs. Schmick—are still going strong. Let’s hit the road! These pink scallops are the sweetest, cutest thing ever, and a big change from the original mossy-green stripes.

Let’s be real: This about-to-be-renovated kitchen is far nicer than any kitchen I’ve ever had, so much so that I kept putting ‘after’ labels on the ‘before’ photos. But now it has a fresh vibe, new appliances, and a radically different look. After all the before/after confusion, I still had to double-check that this was the same view as the top image. It is the same camera angle, but every other thing has been changed.

If, like me, you were hoping that this art hack involved adding enormous sea monsters to this idyllic beach scene, you might be the teensiest bit disappointed, but if you want to see these discount pieces transformed into lovely original abstract paintings, read on! Let’s start with a little backstory: When I came across these pre-framed mass reproduction art pieces at HomeGoods, they were the perfect size for our space but lacked the modern minimal look I was going for.

A reader found this old dresser in an alley and knew right away that she’d hit the jackpot. And after hours of scrubbing and sprucing, this dresser is even more beautiful than the day it was built. Here’s how reader Krissy Gilhooly tells the story of this exciting discovery: I found this piece abandoned in the alley behind our house. When I first saw it, I was expecting it to be rickety and have sticky drawers, as most furniture is when it’s thrown away.

Wow.